Handheld wet grinder

ABSTRACT

A handheld wet grinder designed with water-discharging mechanism for wetting the powders. The wet grinder includes a main body and a water-discharging switch. A water incoming flow way is disposed in the main body and extends from the rear end of the main body to the front end thereof. A valve is installed in the flow way. The water-discharging switch is mounted on a circumference of the front end of the main body and connected with the valve. When shifting the water-discharging switch, the valve is driven to block or unblock the water incoming flow way so as to control water flow. The water incoming flow way is directly disposed in the main body without being exposed to outer side so that the flow way of water is protected from being damaged. In addition, the water-discharging switch is positioned at the front end of the main body so that a user can conveniently operate the water-discharging switch with the hand holding the main body without using the other hand.

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of pending application U.S. Ser. No. 11/514,362, entitled “WATER GRINDER” and filed on Sep. 1, 2006.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a grinding device, and more particularly to a handheld grinder with wetting effect. The water incoming flow way of the grinder is disposed in the grinder. In addition, the water-discharging switch of the grinder is easily operable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When grinding a work piece with a handheld grinder, much powder dust is produced. The conventional grinder is designed with a water-discharging unit for wetting the powder dust and avoiding flight thereof.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional handheld wet grinder 10 in which a water pipe 12 is mounted on the main body 14 for connecting with a water source. A water-discharging switch 16 is connected to the water pipe 12. When the switch 16 is switched on, the water will flow into the water pipe 12 and then flow out from the rotary shaft 18 of the grinder.

In the above handheld wet grinder, the water pipe 12 is externally added to the main body and exposed to outer side thereof. In use, the water pipe tends to be collided and broken to lead to leakage of the water.

Moreover, the water-discharging switch 16 is positioned at a rear end of the main body 14 so that it is inconvenient to operate the switch 16. That is, when controlling the water flow, a user needs to hold the main body 14 with one hand and switch the switch 16 with the other hand. Therefore, it is necessary for the user to use both hands to operate the grinder, unable to operate with single hand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a handheld wet grinder in which the flow way of the water is protected from being collided and broken.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a handheld wet grinder having a water-discharging switch for controlling water flow. The wet grinder enables a user to operate the water-discharging switch with single hand.

According to the above objects, the handheld wet grinder of the present invention has a water incoming flow way which is directly disposed in the main body of the grinder. Therefore, the water incoming flow way is protected from being collided and damaged.

The grinder of the present invention has a water-discharging switch positioned at a front end of the main body. Accordingly, a user can conveniently operate the water-discharging switch with the hand holding the main body. Therefore, the user can operate the water-discharging switch with single hand.

Preferably, the water-discharging switch is positioned on a top face of the front end of the main body of the grinder.

Preferably, the water-discharging switch is back and forth shiftable along the length of the main body. Alternatively, the water-discharging switch is rotatable to control the water flow.

The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional wet grinder;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view according to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view according to FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a side view according to FIG. 5, showing that the water-discharging switch is switched to the shutoff position;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIG. 2. According to a first embodiment, the handheld wet grinder 20 of the present invention has a main body 30 and an activation switch 35 mounted on a circumference of the main body 30 for activating the grinder. The activation switch 35 can be a rotary switch, a trigger, a press button or the like. When the grinder is turned on, a rotary shaft 36 is driven and rotated. The rotary shaft 36 is mounted in the main body 30 at a front end thereof. A bottom end of the rotary shaft extends out of the main body for mounting a grinding tool thereon for grinding a work piece.

The grinder of the present invention further has a water incoming flow way 40 and a water-discharging switch 50.

Referring to FIG. 3, the water incoming flow way 40 is disposed in the main body 30 and extends from a rear end 32 of the main body to a front end thereof. A rear end 41 of the water incoming flow way 40 is connected to a water source. A valve 45 which is a ball valve in this embodiment is disposed in the water incoming flow way 40. A valve chamber 42 is formed in the front end of the water incoming flow way 40 for installing the valve 45 therein.

The water-discharging switch 50 is mounted on a circumference of the front end 34 of the main body 30 for controlling the valve 45. Referring to FIG. 4, the water-discharging switch 50 has a shift section 52 and at least one lug 54 positioned on one side of the shift section 52. In practice, preferably there are two lugs 54, 55 respectively disposed on two sides of the shift section. The water-discharging switch 50 is bridged over a top face of the front end of the main body with the two lugs 54, 55 respectively positioned on two sides of the main body 30. Accordingly, the shift section 52 is positioned on the top face of the main body 30 for a user to shift. At least one lug 54 is pivotally connected with one side of the main body, whereby the water-discharging switch 50 is rotatable about the pivot of the lug. The water-discharging switch 50 is substantially mounted above the rotary shaft 36.

To speak more detailedly, at lease one pivot hole 37 is formed on one side of the main body 30 to communicate with the valve chamber 42 of the flow way. A connector 48 is airtight rotatably disposed in the pivot hole 37. An inner end of the connector 48 is connected with the valve 45. The lug 54 is connected with an outer end of the connector 48 via a threaded member 56. Accordingly, the water-discharging switch 50 is rotatable about the pivot hole. When shifting the water-discharging switch 50, the valve 45 is driven to rotate. The connector 48 is connected with the center of the ball valve 45 so that the rotational center of the water-discharging switch 50 coincides with the center of the ball valve 45.

Referring to FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the rotary shaft 36 has a passage 38 communicating with the water incoming flow way 40. In addition, the front end of the main body is installed with an external water-discharging mechanism 60 communicating with the flow way 40. By means of operating a selection switch 62, the water is controlled to flow out from at least one outlet 39 of the rotary shaft or from at least one outlet 64 of the external water-discharging mechanism 60. The position where the water flows out is not the major subject of the present invention so that this will not be further described hereinafter.

Referring to FIG. 5, in use, a user holds the main body 30 with one hand to operate the grinder. The water-discharging switch 50 is disposed on the top face of the front end of the main body, therefore, it can be clearly seen from FIG. 5 that the user can shift the shift section 52 of the water-discharging switch 50 with one finger (such as the thumb) of the same hand to control the water flow. When the water-discharging switch 50 is pushed forward to the fully open position as shown in FIG. 5, the valve 45 is positioned in a fully open position as shown in FIG. 3, where a through hole 46 of the valve 45 fully communicates with the flow way 40. Under such circumstance, the water flowing into the water incoming flow way can pass through the valve 45 to flow out from the outlet 39 or the outlet 64 to wet the powders produced in grinding operation.

When the water-discharging switch 50 is shifted rearward to the shutoff position as shown in FIG. 6, the valve 45 is such driven and rotated by the switch 50 that the through hole 46 no more communicates with the water incoming flow way 40 to block the flow way. When the switch is shifted to a position between the positions of FIGS. 5 and 6, the amount of the water flow can be controlled.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the grinder 70 of the present invention, which also includes a main body 80, a water incoming flow way 82, a water-discharging switch 84 and a valve 86 installed in a valve chamber 83 of the flow way 82.

A pivot hole 87 is formed on a top face of the main body 80 to communicate with the valve chamber 83. The switch 84 is mounted on the top face of the main body. A connector 88 is arranged in the pivot hole 87 to connect one end of the switch 84 with the valve 86. The rotational center of the water-discharging switch coincides with the center of the valve 86.

When the free end of the switch 84 is shifted, the switch 84 rotationally drives the valve 86 to control the water flow.

It should be noted that the water-discharging switch of the invention can be alternatively arranged on the circumference of the front end of the main body. The position of the water-discharging switch is not limited to the top face of the front end of the main body.

According to the above arrangement, the water-discharging switch can be directly operated with the hand holding the main body. Therefore, a user can operate the grinder and control the water-discharging switch by single hand. This facilitates the use of the grinder. Moreover, the water incoming flow way is directly disposed in the main body so that the water incoming flow way is protected from being collided and damaged.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention, not intended to limit the scope thereof. Many modifications of the above embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. 

1. A handheld wet grinder comprising: a main body having a front end and a rear end; a water incoming flow way disposed in the main body and extending from the rear end of the main body to the front end thereof; a valve installed in the flow way; and a water-discharging switch mounted on a circumference of the front end of the main body for a user to shift, the water-discharging switch being connected with the valve, whereby when shifting the water-discharging switch, the valve is driven to block or unblock the water incoming flow way.
 2. The grinder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the water-discharging switch is arranged on a top face of the front end of the main body.
 3. The grinder as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the water-discharging switch is shifted, the water-discharging switch is moved back and forth along the length of the main body.
 4. The grinder as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the water-discharging switch is shifted, the water-discharging switch is moved back and forth along the length of the main body.
 5. The grinder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the water-discharging switch is pivotally connected with the main body, whereby when the water-discharging switch is shifted, the water-discharging switch is rotated.
 6. The grinder as claimed in claim 1, wherein one end of the water-discharging switch is pivotally connected with the main body, whereby when the other end of the water-discharging switch is shifted, the water-discharging switch is rotated.
 7. The grinder as claimed in claim 1, wherein a valve chamber is formed at a front end of the water incoming flow way and the valve is disposed in the valve chamber.
 8. The grinder as claimed in claim 7, wherein a pivot hole is formed on the circumference of the main body to communicate with the valve chamber; a connector is mounted in the pivot hole, an inner end of the connector is connected with the valve; the water-discharging switch is connected with an outer end of the connector.
 9. The grinder as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pivot hole is formed on the circumference of the main body to communicate with the water incoming flow way; a connector is mounted in the pivot hole, an inner end of the connector is connected with the valve; the water-discharging switch is connected with an outer end of the connector.
 10. The grinder as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one pivot hole is formed on at least one side of the main body to communicate with the water incoming flow way; the water-discharging switch having a shift section and at least one lug positioned on one side of the shift section, the lug being pivoted with the pivot hole and connected to the valve; the shift section being positioned on the top face of the main body, whereby when shifted, the water-discharging switch is rotated about the pivot of the lug and the shift section of the water-discharging switch is moved back and forth along the length of the main body
 11. The grinder as claimed in claim 10, further comprises a connector installed in the pivot hole, an inner end of the connector is connected with the valve; the lug of the water-discharging switch is connected with an outer end of the connector.
 12. The grinder as claimed in claim 10, wherein the water-discharging switch has two lugs respectively disposed on two sides of the shift section, the two lugs respectively positioned on two sides of the main body.
 13. The grinder as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pivot hole is formed on a top face of the main body to communicate with the water incoming flow way; the water-discharging switch is connected with the valve via the pivot hole, whereby when the water-discharging switch is shifted, the water-discharging switch is rotated.
 14. The grinder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front end of the main body has a rotary shaft; the water-discharging switch is positioned above the rotary shaft.
 15. The grinder as claimed in claim 2, wherein the front end of the main body has a rotary shaft; the water-discharging switch is positioned above the rotary shaft.
 16. A handheld wet grinder comprising: a main body having a front end and a rear end; a water incoming flow way disposed in the main body and extending from the rear end of the main body to the front end thereof; a ball valve installed in the flow way; and a water-discharging switch pivotally mounted on a circumference of the front end of the main body for a user to shift, the water-discharging switch being connected with the ball valve, the water-discharging switch having a rotational center coinciding with the center of the ball valve, whereby when shifting the water-discharging switch, the ball valve is driven and rotated.
 17. The grinder as claimed in claim 16, wherein the front end of the main body has a rotary shaft; the water-discharging switch is arranged on a top face of the front end of the main body and is positioned above the rotary shaft.
 18. The grinder as claimed in claim 16, wherein when the water-discharging switch is shifted, the water-discharging switch is moved back and forth along the length of the main body.
 19. The grinder as claimed in claim 16, wherein the water-discharging switch is pivotally connected with the main body, whereby when the water-discharging switch is shifted, the water-discharging switch is rotated.
 20. The grinder as claimed in claim 16, wherein at least one pivot hole is formed on at least one side of the main body to communicate with the water incoming flow way; the water-discharging switch having a shift section and at least one lug positioned on one side of the shift section, the lug being pivoted with the pivot hole and connected to the ball valve; the shift section being positioned on the top face of the main body, whereby when shifted, the water-discharging switch is rotated about the pivot of the lug and the shift section of the water-discharging switch is moved back and forth along the length of the main body 